I've found that shifter paranormal romances aren't completely my thing (this genuinely makes me sad). I had an overall decent time with this, but it didn't hold my attention completely throughout--and this is solely on me.

This was was to cute! I had a blast.

Grumpy Sunshine, fake dating.. say less!!
This does assume you are familiar with omegaverse, so brush up on the terms before diving in!

🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was such a good book! Don’t let the cartoon cover fool you, this has some spice! This made me laugh out loud in addition to being spicy. I’m also craving soup. There is also a smarmy doctor that I feel like has a very punchable face, even though his face is not described. The writing was well done, the banter is witty and I didn’t want to out this one down!

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 shifter romance
💋 enemies to lovers
💋 opposites attract
💋 fake dating
💋 grumpy vs sunshine

Mack loves her grandma, but she’s so so so tired of being set up on dates. So she fibs to her that she has started seeing someone. Her Grandma is pressing her for details while she is in the break room at the hospital, hard ones like “what’s his name?” So hard, that she says the first name that comes to mind. The grumpy cardiologist who is walking through the door. The only doctor she doesn’t get along with. How is she going to pull this off?

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson is cute and combines a collection of well-worn and often loved romance tropes - the grumpy meets sunshine dynamic, an office romance (in this case, hospital), and a fake dating scenario, all with some paranormal love alpha and omega thrown in, for fun. And it is quite fun.

"Because when I'm with you . . . I don't feel like I'm just going through the motions in life. When I'm with you . . . I feel like I'm actually living."

I have read a ton of shapeshifting romances; I love the otherworldliness of it. But recently, I have started to enjoy a different type of paranormal romance books that are one-offs and more associated with solid characters and less with romance. In this story, we get both. Lana Ferguson gives us the spicy romance we seek but with character development and fun.

The Alpha/Omega trope is challenging to do correctly. If written well, it can be balanced. The Alpha completely and utterly controls the omega. If that's what gets your jollies, no shame. However, in The Fake Mate's scenario, both characters are strong independent people. Doctors who have fought hard to get where they are. It would be odd and out of character for this narrative to be one-sided.

What we have is chemistry so hot it burns the page. As I am a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope, I had so much fun watching the facade of Noah Taylor crumble in the face of the sunshine that is Mackenzie Carter.

As they get to know each other and realize they need each other's help, things go pear-shaped, and it is difficult to be grumpy when faced with someone as great as Mack, even if it is a ruse.

They might figure out that they need each other after all.

The Fake Mate is an enjoyable, light afternoon read. It's a charming story with a mix of romance and risqué themes, perfect for those who love classic tropes and would like something to sink their proverbial claws into.

This book has been on my most anticipated release list since I saw Lana talk about it. When I read the blurb, I was going crazy with the wait! I ran to Barnes & Noble when it released and dived in right away!! Paranormal Romance + Enemies to lovers + Grey's Anatomy vibes? YES!!!! This book had me jumping up and down squeaking nonstop! I loved this book SO MUCH!!!!

review: the fake mate by lana ferguson

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✨ MY THOUGHTS ✨

⚠️ cw: medical content, abandonment, death of a parent, workplace harassment, bullying, sexism, & grief ⚠️

if you love werewolves, grey's anatomy, fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, & lots of spice this book might be for you!!

alexa play she wolf by shakira 🎶

🌟 RATING: ★★★★.5
🥵 spice scale: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ a lot of spice( descriptive & explicit)

omg this book took me back to my werewolf fanfiction era in highschool. it's was nostalgic in the best way possible!! i loved every moment of this book it was so fun & spicy!!🔥🥵 plus, i'm so glad the tiny sad man finally got fired because wtf?! literally the worst part of the book, but understandable for conflict purposes! just -.5 ⭐ for the 3rd act break-up but overall a great read!!

This book officially has a home on my shrine. I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did, but wow do I love it. It was equal parts fun, sexy, and just an amazing time. I can’t think of a single flaw this book had. One of my favorites of all time and I can’t wait to reread it soon.

I'm gonna go ahead and just say that fated mates/omegaverse stuff just is not for me and that is fine! This is a great book for fantasy readers and those who love a werewolf, I just was not vibing with it.

This book was fun and if you enjoy workplace fake dating, it could definitely be the book for you. I really liked all of the fake dating things but I felt like the whole point of fooling Mackenzie’s grandmother disappeared from the plot way too quickly and that the reason for needing a fake mate only showed up at the end after it was introduced as an urgent problem. I was a bit weirded out by many of the terms that were used in it and it took me out of the story because I was jarred by the icky feeling that the words gave me. Overall, I didn’t mind this book and Noah and Mackenzie’s characters were developed fine, but the plot and motivations for decisions needed to be fleshed out more.

I saw the mixed reviews going into this book so I was presently surprised how good it was. I would have liked more back story to wolf side of things. I like that this could be a start for Ferguson to move towards more fantasy. It was a nice change for a complicated love story. It is a fast read, with all the sexy vibes you are looking for.

Two wolf shifters agree to be fake mates, each having their reasons, but sometimes the line to what is fake becomes blurred. Sometimes love is more complicated then the creature within them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this story for my honest review.

4/5 stars

this book was everything and then some

i’ve never read a book like this before so it was refreshing to see! this is the perfect blend of paranormal romance with contemporary and I would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in the two!

i BINGED this book so fast it was easy to read and their dynamic?!?? perfect example of opposites attract

there was even a floating lesson of prejudice and discrimination— which you wouldn’t expect from a romance book but it was handled nicely


✨my end notes✨
1) loved it
2) i want this to be a series pretty please
3) i think i speak for everyone when i say hunter needs to be the second book

Totally gave me a bit of Ali Hazelwood vibes with the fake dating and shifter romance. Enjoyed the dual POV (yes, I will always want to know what the main lead is thinking!) and the steamy scenes!

First I want to say I've never read an omegaverse store and man was i was not prepared for how obsessed i now am!
lets start with the tropes it's a workplace fake dating opposites attract shifter romance with duel pov and it was fantastic. The spice was top tier the tension between the couple

This was so much fun!! I loved the chaos that is the plot line. Reylo inspired fake dating co-workers who are doctors yet also wolf shifters??? Their chemistry was great. This is very Ali Hazelwood coded so that was kinda fun. I loved The Nanny by this author so I wanted to give this a chance and I’m very glad I did!

i absolutely devoured this book omg i read it in one sitting and i feel like i haven't had a book make me want to do that in so long

the grumpy x sunshine and fake dating tropes are just so good and worked together so well in this case. it's funny, it's sweet, it's deliciously smutty... what more do you need? i will say though i don't normally read a ton of paranormal romances or omegaverse type stuff (especially with this level of smut) so the, uh, mechanics (?) and the dirty talk took a little getting used to LOL but i'm not not into it? it was interesting for sure

the only thing preventing me from giving this 5 stars is that the smut happened pretty early and then it felt like after that the build up and tension was gone and it was just endless smut (which... wasn't a horrible thing but can we get some plot too?) then we went from smut after smut to a millisecond of "do we have real feelings for each other?" and straight to the dreaded third act breakup... which could have so easily been avoided with proper communication!!

anyway i definitely still enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to see what Lana Ferguson puts out next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙡𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮.

📍 Read if you like:
• Shifter Romances
• Fake Dating
• Workplace Romance
• Opposites Attract
• Dual POV
• Omega-verse

I absolutely loved The Nanny by this author so I was so excited to dive into this one. I was a bit hesitant though as I’m not the biggest fan of shifter romances, but oh my goodness, I really enjoyed this one.

I mostly listened to this on audio and flew through it, I finished it in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down. There’s something about this author’s writing that I just really enjoy.

Mackenzie and Noah are both doctors who happen to be wolf shifters. They agree to “fake date” for different reasons - which benefits both of them. I absolutely loved both characters and the tropes in this were top-notch.

The spice in this was also 🥵 I knew the last book was steamy, but oh man, I forgot how steamy these books are. Also, the knotting?!?!? I have no words…

Not only did I enjoy these main characters, but there were also a few likable side characters. I loved how they placed a role in this story.

The only reason this is a four-star is because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 3rd act breakup. I just wish Noah would’ve communicated with Mackenzie about what was going on.

The cover honestly threw me off as I wasn’t initially expecting this to be a werewolf shifter romance and I was very hesitant picking this up, but I’m so glad I did. The audiobook was perfect and I had a great time reading this one!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Sexual Content, Abandonment, Medical Content, Death Of Parent

The Fake Mate is a decently entertaining romance book with many familiar but enjoyable tropes. The flirting and banter in the beginning immediately caught my attention and I thought Mackenzie and Noah had a lot of chemistry.

However, there is very little to the story outside of the romance. The plot concerning Noah's leaked Alpha status was very obvious and, therefore, wasn't particularly interesting. Once Noah and Mackenzie got together (for real) my interest waned. The smut scenes quickly became repetitive and the third-act conflict was predictably silly. I also felt like the story lacked good side characters. The most distinct side characters were comedic caricatures meant to put Mackenzie and Noah in awkward situations and ask invasive questions.

This book is so much fun! This is my first time dipping my toes into the omegaverse and when I tell you I went in blind, I was BLIND. I will admit I did my fair share of googling haha but I really enjoyed this book. It’s your classic fake dating, grumpy sunshine but with wolf shifters! What’s not to love

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I can safely say I have definitely never read another book like this before. I added it to my TBR based off loving the author’s debut but this book surprised me. I have never read a shifter romance! And I’m not sure if it’s the right subgenre for me…

I really don’t know how to rate this book. I did the audio and I loved the performances and the characters, but then there were moments that made me a little uncomfy and I had a hard time processing the moments. I know so many people who love Omegaverse/Shifter Romances! So there’s definitely an audience, but again, not sure it’s for me. So, please take my review with this in mind: I didn’t realize this was a shifter romance until I did more research, I have never read a shifter romance and didn’t intend to, others love it and I still will read more from this author.

Synopsis:

“Mackenzie Carter has had some very bad dates lately. Model train experts, mansplainers, guys weirdly obsessed with her tail—she hasn’t had a successful date in months. Only a year out of residency, her grandmother’s obsession with Mackenzie finding the perfect mate to settle down with threatens to drive Mackenzie barking mad. Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone. That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees and the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General. Noah Taylor, interventional cardiologist and all around grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board and risk his career—or find himself a mate. The chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend on the same day he’s called to meet the board has to be kismet, right? Mackenzie will keep her grandmother off her back, and Noah will get a chance to prove he can continue to work without a real mate—a mutually beneficial business transaction, they both rationalize. But when the fake-mate act turns into a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realize love is a whole different kind of animal.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Work Place Setting—I love a workplace romance! I loved that this took place in a hospital and thought it was interesting that everything was so out in the open. I wasn’t expecting it!

The Side Characters—I really liked everyone in this book! The dialogue was fun and I liked their relationships.

The Protective Hero—While I wasn’t ready for an Alpha…I understand the appeal.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

The Subgenre—I don’t know if I’m this kind of romance girlie 😭

The Spice—I’m sorry, I’m sorry but it just didn’t work for me. I am not a prude or screamish reader when it comes to spice but it just did not work for me.

The Feeling Like I was Missing Something—I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was kept from being scared off once I learned this was a shifter romance. But I felt like I was thrown in to world with little to no explanation (which is probably my fault!).

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: ???

Content Warnings:

abandonment, medical content, death of a parent

REVIEW FOR THE FAKE MATE

4 stars

Thank you to Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the free book copy!

I will be completely honest- I did NOT like The Nanny. I thought the whole premise was creepy, and I thought the characters lacked substance. However, I ADORED this book and read it in one sitting. This was my first full shifter romance, and I learned some THINGS friends lol. I really also hope this will be the start of a series, because there are a few side characters I wouldn't mind learning more about.

The connection and chemistry Mack and Noah was just, chef's kiss. I also liked that the paranormal part of the story was woven into the natural world, very similar to the Supernatural Singles stories by April Asher. It gave it an element of reality that fantasy and paranormal stories often lack.

One of the things I felt could have been improved upon was there was a lot of internal dialogue. I tend to like stories that strike a balance between external and internal dialogue, but if I feel like I'm in the characters head too much then it can get monotonous.

Overall, this book has made me a fan of Lana Ferguson, and I vow to give any future book of hers a chance before writing it off (as long as it doesn't have a weird storyline using OnlyFans)